The Netflix sports series premiering July 12 and featuring Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota has a simple title: “Quarterback.”
An appropriate subtitle would be “The Agony and the Ecstasy.”
With Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning as executive producer, the series highlights the pain National Football League quarterbacks endure during the long 17-game seasons that also include the thrills of victory.
No one illustrates the pain better than Cousins, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback who was hit by defensive players more than any other quarterback early in the 2022 season.
All three quarterbacks, who agreed to be mic’ed up during the entire 2022 season, come off as extremely likable.
Even Buffalo Bills fans might come away liking Mahomes’ wife, Brittany, who often is harshly treated on social media. The couple is especially appealing in the first few episodes when they share how their relationship started.
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However, the series changes about four episodes in – call it halftime, since there are eight episodes – when it features so many highlights of the Kansas City Chiefs’ march to the Super Bowl title.
The final two episodes become more like “The Patrick and Brittany Show,” which may bring the trolls back on Brittany.
The role supportive NFL wives play is emphasized throughout the series. Interestingly, Mahomes and Brittany, and Mariota and his wife, Kiyomi, have some things in common. They both played soccer collegiately, and they were “just friends” with their future husbands before romances began.
Since the Bills played the Chiefs and Vikings last season, there are some significant Buffalo angles.
Bills fans will experience some pain in the second episode, which relives the 42-36 overtime playoff loss in 2021 to the Chiefs, after victory seemed to be in the Bills’ grasp with 13 seconds left.
There is more pain for Buffalo fans from a 2022 regular season overtime loss to the Vikings. During that game, the Bills blew a 17-point lead, and quarterback Josh Allen fumbled a snap in the end zone with the lead and 44 seconds left.
Bills fans probably won’t want to hear Mahomes’ belief that the Cincinnati Bengals were better than the Bills before the Bengals’ playoff win here, and that he appears to rate Cincy quarterback Joe Burrow ahead of Allen. Perhaps that will serve as an inspiration for the Bills quarterback.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) is seen during a game in Highmark Stadium on Nov. 13, 2022. Cousins' wife, Julie, was at the game and shares how impressed she was by Buffalo fans in the new Netflix series "Quarterback."
There are also some ecstatic moments for Bills fans. They include brief clips of the greatest comeback over the Houston Oilers, and a 2022 regular season win over the Chiefs.
Another highlight comes via praise from Cousins’ wife, Julie, who attended Minnesota’s win at Highmark Stadium.
“I’ve never been in a game environment like that,” she says in the third episode. “Fans standing the entire game. It was really exciting.”
“Heartbreaking” likely was the word used by Bills fans after the Vikings needed the incredible Justin Jefferson catch of a Cousins pass on fourth and 18 to be in position to take the lead.
Minnesota’s victory was more remarkable when considering the pain Cousins experienced after being hit so often. Asked if he was OK, Cousins snaps, “No, I’m hurt. Everything hurts.”
You can literally hear Cousins’ pain during the Bills game, and watch Mahomes overcome a painful upper ankle injury during the AFC title game win over Cincinnati and the Super Bowl win over Philadelphia.
Cousins gets help for the pain from chiropractors and recovery methods that might make any NFL quarterback question why they play the position for a living. He even brings up the question, concluding there must be a “sick” part of him that likes it.
The selfless nature of NFL player Kirk Cousins is evident in the new Netflix series “Quarterback.” He’s pictured here with his son Cooper.
Viewers also will see the strategic side of Mahomes, who kills defensive opponents with kindness.
“I always say I want to make these guys like me, so they don’t hit me too hard,” Mahomes says.
During a game against San Francisco, Mahomes is disputing a penalty while in the next breath strategically praising pass rusher Nick Bosa for making a good play.
In another game, he is inspired by a needless elbow from Las Vegas pass rusher Maxx Crosby and smooths over the dispute after another Chiefs victory ends.
Mahomes also shows his humorous side, joking about his haircut.
“I can’t have two kids with a Mohawk,” he says. “Imagine being 40 years old with this haircut.”
As impressive as the two-time NFL most valuable player has been as a player, Mahomes’ workout routine with a trainer he has known since he was a youngster is just as spectacular.
The Mariotas are quite a team, with Marcus’ wife helping him study the Atlanta Falcons’ complicated play calls with side-by-side iPads. That scene illustrates how hard quarterbacks study to memorize plays with long and mind-blowing exotic names.
Marcus Mariota is one of the featured NFL quarters in the aptly named Netflix series “Quarterback.”
Mariota, who is easy to root for, also has his personal chef and nutritionist he has known since he was a child. Picked second overall in the 2015 draft by the Tennessee Titans, Mariota is now a backup for the Eagles, so fans know his Falcons experience didn’t end well. He almost disappears late in the series after he is benched.
A fourth-round draft choice of the Washington football team in the same year (2012) that Robert Griffin III was drafted by Washington second overall, Cousins comes off as a classy boy next door.
Griffin’s injury-filled career was game-changing for Cousins, who became the team’s starter before signing with Minnesota as a free agent.
He famously became known for his uncharacteristic excitement after leading a Washington comeback victory and shouting, “You like that! You like that!”
Cousins has frequent visits to Minnesota’s team psychologist to restore his confidence. He also does brain exercises to restore his mind.
He is a selfless teammate who hides his extensive and expansive trophy room via a secret door, while openly and, at times, emotionally discussing his life as a Christian.
Cousins hasn’t achieved the one trophy Allen and every NFL quarterback aspires to have – the Vince Lombardi trophy as a Super Bowl champion. But he has a place for it if he is ever rewarded for all the pain he endures.
It is hard to predict whether that will happen. But if you can’t wait for this season to start, it is easy to predict that this series will make you appreciate what Allen and all NFL quarterbacks go through even more.
